Ignoring COVID is not an option

[edschweppe]

In today's Boston Globe, an op-ed piece by Dr. Jerome Adams: Ignoring COVID-19 is still not an option for most Americans

More than three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us can finally walk into a store or sit in a restaurant without the constant looming fear of COVID on our minds. That is a good thing. But for far too many people, COVID remains a dangerous threat.

Although the public health emergency declaration ended in May and prominent public health figures have advocated for most Americans to lower their guard, the stark reality is that we're still far from the finish line. Too many are still vulnerable to severe COVID infection; namely, those who are elderly or who have other high-risk factors, those who cannot receive the few available treatments, and the hundreds of millions whose vaccinations are out of date.

Despite our intense desire to put COVID in our rearview mirror, it remains with us and continues to evolve. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID remains the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Moreover, health equity barriers continue to prevent many Americans from returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, as COVID deaths remain disproportionately highest among Native American and Black individuals. And now, infections and hospital admissions are rising again nationwide.

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I understand we're all tired of COVID. Some of us, myself included, are fortunate to have access to vaccines, testing, and treatments, allowing a greater sense of normalcy. But "some" isn't "all." So we can't ignore COVID. We must continue to take simple precautions to protect ourselves and others, especially those who don't yet have the privilege of moving on. We must focus on health equity, and we must advocate for initiatives that enable discovery, development, and accessibility of even better vaccines and improved therapeutics — particularly new oral antivirals — that will allow more of us the future luxury of turning a blind eye to COVID.

The Globe notes that Dr. Adams "served as the 20th US surgeon general." The Globe did not mention that his service was from September 5, 2017 through January 20, 2021; thus entirely during the Trump Administration.

I'm glad to see somebody in public health calling out that ridiculous op-ed by Dr. Ashish Jha claiming that we can now ignore COVID. And goodness knows health equity is a huge problem in these United States. But Dr. Adams makes no mention of masking, ventilation improvements, or even air monitoring.